I Don't Get It. What Was In it For the Enprotec Folks and Why Didn't Glen Rose Town Council Have More Questions?

I Don't Get It. What Was In it For the Enprotec Folks and Why Didn't Glen Rose Town Council Have More Questions?

9 March 2010 at 7:14:59 PM

salon

From the March 8 2010 meeting. I like to record the meetings and sometimes when I'm listening to the presentations made, I'm waiting for one of the council people to ask a question I have. Not that every question that crosses my mind is going to be the same ones that cross the council people's mind. But I had one biggie that I wondered about immediately and then kept popping up during the presentation regarding the city wastewater plant. Listen

Apparently, at some point in the near year or two, the City of Glen Rose approved monies for when they need to update the city wastewater and sewage treatment plant. Last night, two men, David Todd and Keith Kindle, from a company called Enprotec came out to offer to do a grant request, free of charge, to a state of Texas agency that might save 50 percent or more off the cost of building the plant. And, naturally, the council was delighted, as anyone would be, at the idea of being able to apply for grant money that would shave the cost to the taxpayer. I've put the audio of that presentation here, too long for a video, and you can hear the caveats about when to apply , and the waiting list, and how Glen Rose might not get it, etc. And, at the end, the City Council voted to move ahead with Enprotec, FREE, helping them do the paperwork for this grant.

The grant, according to Mr Todd, is from the Texas Water Development Board, under Intended Use Plans. (Found link here).

What's missing from this conversation, though, is why Enprotec would offer to do this.. FOR FREE. In other words, they're a company that somehow found out information about the City of Glen Rose's plans to do do the new treatment plant (when neceesary, not time yet-as Myor Miller said, 8 to 10 years out), and approached, repeatedly, Mayor Miller (not the other way around). The reason this is not the other way around is that a city is not required to start upgrading its facilities at this point.

If Enprotec does this grant for the city, would they expect a quid pro quo when it comes down to bid time? Not that that's bad business to do favors free of charge for people, but assuming that when the actual works begin, the bids will go out, without favoritsm, to everyone, right? I was surprised that nobody asked about this on the council, or maybe said "Okay, we would like you to do this, but you understand, and we will put this in our resolution, that your actions have nothing to do wtih future bids." I kind of wondered if maybe this is something City Council already knew about so they didn't spell it out for the citizens listening, but I don't think that's the case. Nobody does stuff for free, particularly a business, without wanting something in return. But no one asked. Why?

One other thing. The reason that Glen Rose would be eligible in the first place for this grant is because Glen Rose is considered an ecomomically distressed area.

What is an Economically Distressed Area?

Is an area in which:

The water supply or wastewater systems are inadequate to meet minimal needs of residential users;

The financial resources are inadequate to provide services to meet those needs; and

There was an established residential subdivision on or prior to June 1, 2005.

What Areas are Eligible to Receive the Financial Assistance?

Under the law, projects must be located in economically distressed areas.

An economically distressed area is one which has a median household income that is not greater than 75% of the median state household income.

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